3 Steps to Build Your A-Team

Have you ever watched any of those old movies, like Uncommon Valor or Wild Geese? The common theme of these types of movies is that there's going to be a big battle or there's some great task that needs to be fulfilled. Lord of the Rings, Armageddon, movies like that. What always happens in these movies first? What do they do? They build their team. Every single one of those movies, they go around and they find the misfits and the drunks and the bar room brawlers and the brainiacs and all the people who are going to be necessary to make this crazy, seemingly unachievable, mission a reality.

In that particular aspect, there's a lot of truth in those movies. I'm a huge proponent of how those teams are built because no one wins alone. We're moving forward on the path of helping you fulfill on your tracks as a Rooftop Leader and a high performer and when we've got these goals that are bigger than ourselves, nobody wins alone. We have to build a team that will allow us to collectively achieve those goals.

  What really goes into building a team? Think about your team. What does your team mean to you? Evaluate where you are in your journey right now and if you've got the right people on the bus with you. When I was in Special Forces, we put an inordinate amount of time into how we selected, assessed, and assembled our teams. We call it an A-Team, this interesting blend of weapons guys, engineers, medics, communications, and officers. In order for this team to work, there has to be personal chemistry in place as well.

I've seen this emphasis on team building all my life. As a warrior-storyteller, business owner, trainer in corporate America, leader of nonprofits, everywhere I look, the high performing organizations are very thoughtful and deliberate in how they build their teams. Why would you be any different?

For those of you who are in the military right now, or have left the military - why would you go from one of the most team-oriented cultures in the world, the U.S. Military, to an environment where you just do it all on your own? You might be thinking to yourself right now, "no, I wouldn't do that," but we do, and I see it all the time. Even though you've been around teams your whole military career, does that necessarily mean you're conscious of what it takes to build one in a civilian world?

As Rooftop Leaders, if we lead on a level bigger than ourselves, if we want to leave tracks in this world that are remembered after we're gone, if we want to make deeper human connections, we need an A-Team of our own. There are three things we need to focus on at a macro level while we're evaluating our teams.

The first thing I always say is you want people on your team who believe what you believe. Jerry Lujan, my dear friend who's a leadership coach, really put this into words for me. This is not the same as group think. I'm all about diversity on a team. In fact, diversity is absolutely essential to create outside-the-box solutions.

Your team needs to have core belief systems that line up. If someone's core purpose or core operating system is radically different than yours, it's not going to work. They could be the most competent person in the world, the most experienced person in the world, but if at a fundamental level you don't believe the same thing, you will be at odds and the team will suffer. Do you have the same vision? Are you working towards the same goal? If not, you're creating a team environment filled with tension and friction.

The next thing that I would encourage you to look for when building your team is the potential for a shared vision. Let me give you an example - Wes is my Integrator and my Chief of Staff fro rooftop Leadership. He's a rocker and world-class pistol shot, but he's also a husband and father. What aligns Wes and I is our belief in doing something bigger than ourselves, defeating violent extremism, and our love for veterans. We believe what each other believes we also have a shared vision. Wes owns my vision of what I want to do with Rooftop Leadership but also has his own vision of what he wants to do with Rooftop Leadership. He knows that at any time he can send me a note when I'm on the road. He can pull me aside and say, "Hey, Scott. This is what I'm thinking," and there's a really good chance I'm going to integrate that into our shared vision.

You also need to consider your blind spots. Do your teammates fill your blind spots? My team, Wes, Monty, Jamie, and Becka, they are constantly filling my blind spots and I'm totally alright with that. It makes much more sense to build a team that fills each other's blind spots and plays to everybody's strengths than for me to try to change all my blind spots. I'm just not going to do it. But if Monty can fill a gap and Wes can fill another gap, they can allow me to focus on what I do best and the team functions smoothly.

Whether it's nonprofit, corporate, or entrepreneurial, does your team believe what you believe? Do you have a shared vision? Do you fill each other's blind spots? This is critical in taking your team and making it an A-Team. To my veteran brothers and sisters, put some deliberate thought into your team post-military because there's no sense in trying to go it alone. If you're thinking about building that business, civilian or military, if you're thinking about opening up that entrepreneurial endeavor or that nonprofit or just doing a better job at work or making a tighter family, make sure you're not just building a team....make sure you're building an A-Team.